Daram women find added income in solar salt production

Philstar.com

September 27, 2026 | 10:29am

MANILA, Philippines — From processing fish and squid to producing salt, women in Daram, Samar are turning the island municipality’s abundant seawater into an additional source of livelihood, with support from the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Through the Development of the Salt Industry Project (DSIP), BFAR Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) provided the Daram Association of Fish and Squid Processors and the Brgy. Ubo Dried Fish Vendors Association with materials and inputs to establish solar salt production facilities, complementing their existing fish-processing activities.

The two associations, composed of 16 and 25 fisherfolk members, respectively, each received P100,000.00 worth of Solar Salt Production in Low Linear Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) with Frame modules, along with a generator, submersible pump, and HDPE drums. 

BFAR VIII also conducted comprehensive salt-making training in Tacloban City and provided capability-building activities to equip the associations with the knowledge and skills needed to properly operate and manage the technology.

The intervention allows the communities to transform locally available seawater into salt through a simple solar evaporation process. 

Clean seawater is filtered before being placed in an LLDPE-lined drying area covered with UV film. 

Under the heat of the sun, the water gradually evaporates, leaving salt crystals that can be collected after approximately four to five days, depending on weather conditions.

Their initial production has already yielded 180 kilograms of salt, which the associations used for their fish-drying activities. The early results demonstrate how locally produced salt can both provide an additional livelihood and help support the supply requirements of existing fish-processing enterprises.

For Gilda Dosal Añez, president of the Daram Association of Fish and Squid Processors, salt-making presents a practical livelihood opportunity for women in coastal communities.

She said salt-making has great potential as a livelihood because it does not require a large amount of capital and can be easily managed, particularly by women.

Daram is an island municipality composed of 57 coastal communities and one upland community. Fishing remains its primary livelihood, with 98% of residents recorded as municipal fishers by the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist-Fisheries Services (OMA-FS).

With the municipality surrounded by seawater, local officials see salt production as a practical way to make use of an abundant local resource while creating additional economic opportunities for coastal communities.

The local government unit of Daram organized the associations, provided initial seed capital, and facilitated their connections with government agencies and development partners for technical assistance and training.

BFAR’s support through the DSIP is set to expand further. BFAR VIII will distribute P300,000.00 worth of Collapsible Salt Production Setups to associations in Daram, Samar to increase their production capacity and availability of locally produced salt while providing fisherfolk with an additional source of income.

The associations also plan to add more liner setups, move toward mass production, and eventually develop iodized, food-grade salt. They are likewise looking into value-adding opportunities and the possible replication of the technology in other barangays interested in adopting solar salt production.

The locally produced salt currently sells for P20 per kilogram, providing the associations with another product while helping meet the salt requirements of local fish processors.

At the regional level, the DSIP has identified 230 individuals from 13 associations and one cooperative in Eastern Visayas as beneficiaries of salt production interventions.

Target areas include Daram Island in Samar; San Roque in Northern Samar; Maasin and Hinunangan in Southern Leyte; Baybay City in Leyte; Guiuan and Arteche in Eastern Samar; and Naval and Maripipi in Biliran.

From seawater to salt, and from salt production to stronger coastal livelihoods, DSIP is helping turn the country’s salt resources into an industry — one community, one producer, and one livelihood opportunity at a time. (Contributed story)